colddeathzz

I am currently getting around 250 - 260 miles on my new 07 tl

i put in 87 (dono if thats bad or not ) but with gas being so expensive for me its hard to go for premium every time = =

what do you guys think ?

tnx for everyones input !

csmeance

I'm sorry to say this, but you have just killed your TL. The manual and the gas door specifically state 91 octane or higher ONLY. The tl is a very high compression motor and by putting in 87 octane, you are really damaging the motor, especially since it is new. By putting in 87, you get reduced MPG and in the end, it costs you alot more, 2 dollars isn't going to kill you, the 4000 dollar repair bill for when acura does not warranty damaged motor parts will. I get about 300+ miles to the tank, and if I do strictly highway, I can get almost 500 miles out of the tank. Also the TL will behave and react differently, I have a loaner right now and the previous rentee put 87 in it, the car is slow, grouchy, noisy, harsher and not the way a 35,000 dollar car should behave.

VtecTL

the most i got was almost 330. but that was mostly highway driving with 93. use 93. u should get better results and better performance..

timmahh

I get around 300 - 330ish; usually put 11 - 13 gallons in

Silver_Surfer

OMG!! Poor TL...

Bearcat94

We usually get ~300 miles. Primarily sedate driving in moderate city traffic.


The TL-S already has a propensity to knock/ping. Using anything less than 91 is MUCH more likely to knock/ping beyond what the electonics can correct - that is to cause the gas to detonate early in the timing cycle, potentially damaging rods, cylinders, etc.

Also it's been calculated before the total direct cost of 91 is a couple hundred bucks a year - $3 or $4 per fill up. You get part of that back from the better gas mileage from running the proper octane. If you can't afford an extra few dollars a week, you probably can't afford a $38,000 car.

Finally, once the car breaks in your mileage will improve.

ndabunka

LOL! Good one there fella. For a minute I thought you were serious. Warrnaty issues and all....

Seriously though to the original poster. The car IS DESIGNED to run on 91 and will get the best gas milage by using premium fuel. You "can" run 87 in it (and it won't hurt it at all as all newer fuel systems in cars like the TL can automatically adjust their timing to account for the poorer burning 87 octane fuel). There are a number of articles out on the web that argue the details but the reality is that if it cost you 1% more to buy premium than regular AND the MFG recommends premium then you will typically get MORE than than 1% back in better fuel economy. In other words, it's worth it to put premium in the TL's.

ndabunka

Is Premium Fuel Worth the Price?
Being able to advance the spark at full load certainly provides better economy, since the engine is making more efficient use of the energy in the fuel. It also potentially allows application of a higher gear in certain situations (due to the increased torque), which is more economical. Finally, many engines run rich at full load to cool down the exhaust gas, and if the ignition is retarded due to knock, even more fuel is needed. So under high-load conditions, higher octane is definitely good for fuel economy.-From Tony's Guide to Fuel-Saving Gadgets

ndabunka

Before you jump on me for being a "premium lover" take a look at other internet post of mine. I CLEARLY state that you would be foolish to put premium in a car DESIGNED for Regular (Even when the manual says that you "may" get better performance by using the higher octane). The FACT is that you should use the fuel the MFG has tuned the engine too in order to get the best fuel economy. In the case of our 2006 Highlander Hybrid that is the 87 octane fuel but in the case of the TL it's the 91octane.

OMAHA6M

In my neck of the woods...

89 oct (10% eth) ... $2.899
91 oct ... $3.149
= 8.6% cost difference
= MPG increase in excess of 8.6% (i.e. 20 vs. 21.6) is money in the bank!

csmeance

Well, I did go a little overboard... but knowing dealers, they will pull anything out of their ass, like the one dude who's bushing wouldn't be replaced due to the extra strain of the CAI. But about the loaner, thats true. 87 won't damage your car like hydrolocking it will, but it will result in lower MPG, lower performance and also a rough ride. the point of my post was to scare him into doing the proper thing, like spanking your kids teaches them not to do something....

colddeathzz

wow i didnt know that much .....

i guess il start puting in premium and see how things run .....

on a nother note when does a car realy "break in " and run at its best

i curently have 4200 km's on my TL... is that considered enough to be " broken into" ?

colddeathzz

one more i have is ...

ive heard from friends that i should never let the low fuel light turn on ...

they say it is best for the engine when you have more than a quarter of a tank of gas and trying to never let it go near empty.

what do you guys think of this ?

..Mark..

05 - 30k

..Mark..

My bad thought it was a how many miles.

I don't really pay attention, but i do alot of city driving and usually get about 250 to a tank. At that point i am somewhere between 1/4 and 1/8 of a tank and i fill it up.

Tripnbeats

I get about 500miles a tank from FL to NY I fill up 3 times and when i get to NY I still have gas to spare. thats for highway when im around here (NY) it drops to about 300 mpt

Vanilla_Gorilla

I get around 350 to 400 per tank, and i run the gas down to about 2 gallons remaining in the tank.

Bearcat94

You can let the low fuel light come on in this car. You need to seach the forum. Try "Fuel Light" or "Fuel Remaining" or "Miles Empty Range"

In short:

The fuel light comes on with ~4 gallons of gas remaining, your trip computer will say ~25 miles range remaining.

When the Trip Computer says 0 miles range, you STILL have ~3 gallons of gas.

jzacuto

I'm getting about 320 per tank and I'm pretty heavy-footed.

But again why oh WHY do people keep making the huge mistake of putting regular grade in their TLs?!

If the dealer didn't make it clear at the time of purchase, if the manual doesn't spell it out enough, if the gas cap that says "Premium Only!" isn't clear, what's it gonna take?

I just hate knowing that there are poor TLs out there coughing along on Folgers when what they really need is Starbucks.

ndabunka

They all THINK that they are saving money because paying at the pump hits them in the wallet. Many (nearly all) don't realize that they are also hurting their fuel economy (as well a potentially gunking up their engines) by putting inferior fuels into this car. Regular won't damage the car but the cheapest fuel in town could well come from a VERY low-end refinery which does not include ANY additives (like cleaners) and even their premium mix could be gunking up the injectors.

ndabunka

There is NO point in filling up any sooner than necessary in modern cars. It's not like the last few gallons are any different than any of the other gallons in the tank. As others have posted, you still have AT LEAST 3 gallons in the tank when the light does come on. If your driving on the interstate and get 29MPG on the highway (like mine does), it means that I can drive for another HOUR before I have to be concerned about filling up. I also don't drive nearly a much as most people do so by putting off re-fueling until another 60 or 90 miles means that it may be two or three weeks before I have to re-fuel and that means that I can watch for the best fuel prices before I do re-fuel. In short, it's your money. Keep it YOURS as long as you can before you convert if into transportation (Gas).

bmaczo6

iTrader: (1)

I think you bought the wrong car if you can't afford to put the right gas in it.

Bearcat94

It's just that people don't know any better. I didn't. I didn't think through the cost (~$3 or $4 per tank), I didn't understand octane or pinging, I didn't know about the effect on mileage.

There is also some confusion from previous ownership. I had a car a while back that "recommended" 89, but then said, 87 was FINE but there may be a slight decrease in performance. Carrying that forward, I could apply the same "logic" to the TL, not realizing that "recommended" vs "required" was a REALLY important difference.

Fortunately, some of us get educated at places like this and our TL/TL-S's never see anything less than 91 octane.

darksky

Below is my reply to a similar thread. Again to echo what has already been said: both the TL and TL-S use a high compression engine (11:1) that is designed to run on a higher octane fuel (>=91). Yes, the computer will detect lower octane gas and retard your timing, but this isn't the design condition of operation. The reality of the situation is you really aren't saving that much money by using midgrade (89 octane).

The fact that you use regular 87 octane baffles me unless your leasing the car with no intent to buy it (i.e. who cares what happens to the engine after the lease is up).

My original post:
The fuel cost savings isn't that great if you're comparing mid-grade to premium which where I live differs by $0.10 per gallon. Let's say you're using 50 gallon/mo. for 1 year @ $3.25/gallon base price

600 gal/year of mid grade = $2,010
600 gal/year of prem. = $2,070

Savings = $60/year

Not worth it if you plan to keep your car for a long term in my opinion. If you're really cheap about it, buy the premium fuel and eat out less frequently or something :p

Crysophylos

This is bogus IMO. Some say that you should never let the tank go below 1/4 because it will be more likely to suck up dirt, etc. Problem with this statement is that dirt or other contaminates (i.e. water) are all heavier then the gas and last I checked, every car out there has the pick-up tube at the lowest part of the tank.

As long as you go to reputable stations (Hess, BP, Exxon, etc.) you can run till the light comes on.

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

i am sick of people saying that the tl is such a high compression engine and thats why it requires 91 or better...my R6's compression ratio is 13:1 and it requires 87 octane...

i run premium about every other tank...maybe less...mid grade the rest of the time...if your cars not pinging with 87, then its not hurting the car...

darksky

@vinnier6 - I don't know enough about the technical aspects of this iissue to address your motorcycle's engine high compression ratio and its ability to run on lower octane fuel... I would speculate that by doing so it is, at a minimum not running @ peak efficiency whether knocking or not. Here is an interesting bit of info on octane in fuel and why higher octane ratings should be used in higher compression engines.

If you think you're smarter than the company who designed and manufactures the car, go ahead and disregard their [Acura's] recommendation to use >=91 octane in your TL... or don't, it's your car. Just be prepared to accept the potential consequences of your actions.

blinh

I have a question, if say I want to buy an 04 or 05 TL but the previous owner(s) have been using 87 octane, can I start putting > or =91 and the performance will jump back to where it's suppose to be perfoming at?

DetroitAcura

I get 18 MPG. I am very heavy footed and rev high RPMs a lot. The car is just so much fun, I would rather have to eat 99cent cheese burgers all day every day if I had to, just let me drive the hell out of this incredible car!

I go through GAS and TIRES fast and it is very well worth it!

shooter

So far I've been getting around 300 miles per tank, adding 13-14 gallons for the fill ups ....

Still waiting for the first oil change .... hopefully it will get better MPG after that ...

Vanilla_Gorilla

THANK YOU, I couldn't agree more! And to add...if you can;t afford the premium gas price, buy a civic.

Vanilla_Gorilla

You got me thinking of a new mod...a filter for the fuel line. Wonder if that would ever take off?

darksom1

I average around 240! I used to get 280, but I guess with the AEM and 19's, and my heavy ass foot...meh...to floor it is to love it!

colddeathzz

lol while i have had my car for approx 4 months lol

i never floor it, i drive betweeen 2k -3k revs lol ...... trying not to strain my baby too much : X

redpoint

vinnier6 is clearly passionate about his statement and has drawn a logical conclusion; but it's not an entirely informed one. Compression ratio does play a big role in the octane requirements of an engine, but other parameters such as engine size can also greatly affect these requirements. The main reason the R6 can get away with regular gas is because it's only 0.6L compared to the 3.5L size of the TL engine. There are other factors that contribute to octane requirements such as cam profile and duration.

A common misconception about octane is that it increases the power of petrol. If anything, it has a very slight amount less energy density than the other components of gas. Octane is a hydrocarbon that resists burning when compared to the rest of the gas. Octane is not the only chemical used to boost the octane rating of gas. Ethanol is one of the various other octane boosters commonly used; it contains significantly less energy than gasoline, so mileage will suffer.

As most have stated, the best grade of gas to use is the one the engine was designed for. Furthermore, periodically using a different grade of gas will only serve to throw the computer off, and mileage will suffer as it readjusts engine parameters.

S PAW 1

The argument about whether you should use 91+ octane fuel has been beaten to death. If you believe, as I do, in the R&D of a company like Honda, you use what they recommend. That includes premium fuel, proper weight oil, proper break in, etc., etc. Equally as important is the type of gasoline. I believe it was DMZ on this forum that shared with us this website: www.toptiergas.com
It is good reading, and informative.
Back on topic, I get around 300 miles/tank. I don't like to run near empty to avoid condensate in the colder months especially. I average about 26 mpg. Based on that, I could get 400 miles per tank.
This week, I added a K&N intake, P2R thermoblock, and Braille battery to my '07 TL-S. It will be interesting to see what happens to the mpg....IF I can keep my foot off of the "loud pedal"

nwman7

Come on people!!!!!!!!!!!!Questions is MPG not miles per/tank!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I get about 25mpg no matter how I drive. Thanks ya'll.

Frankie02

I get about 22-25 mpg and I uses Shell V-power...and I always fill it up when it hit half tank...and total miles on my car is 2400 just got it about a month...

plng04tl

I got a 04 tl and currently i got 127K miles on it. Everything still run great eventhough i havent change the timing belt or have it taken in for a tune up yet, all i had done was the 60K service through acura. Getting ready to change my second set of break pads in the front and i'm on my 4th set of tires .

TeknoKing

hmm, i get 20mpg (avg city/highway), using Mobil and BP, and my car only 1100 miles on it (08 TLS)

damn, how do some of you get 25-29mpg?!?